The Noisy Little Monkey Blog

8 Hassle Free Video Apps

Nowadays it's getting easier and easier to make branded videos, if you feel like you're late to the party don't worry. This blog will help. First things first, film something. Oh ok, you’re not sure where to start? Fair enough, why don’t you read my Online Video 101 blogand make yourself a quick action plan...

Read it? Stupendous!!! *high five*. Now, let’s get down to bidness…

So, you've got an idea/concept/structure. You're now wondering, where in Christendom can I share my video content & how do I film it?

Seems complicated doesn't it? Luckily I've painstakingly put together a wee list o' apps for you. So go and fiddle around with them and film some Fincher-esque masterpieces!

Vine

I love vine, I have no shame in admitting that I've spent many a night with my flatmates watching compilation after compilation of derp filled videos... But what about using it for business? Many people see the diminutive capture time as being a bit prohibitive. Me? I think it forces you to be creative! That 6.5 second video clip makes your video sharper, shorter, more succinct and more shareable.

Think you could do better than Marmite?

Fair enough, you might not be a massive brand with bazillions in the bank, but have a crack anyway.

Instagram Video

Like Betamax and VHS there’s not really a massive difference between vine and Instagram vid.

Back in June 2013, Instagram spied twitters latest machinations and thought: “we could probably do that, but let’s double the run time so no one thinks we’re copying”. And that’s just what they did.

With a max run time of 15 seconds you might find Instagram Video more attractive than it's shorter brother. Instagram also has about 110 million more followers so the bigger audience and added flexibility is a big plus for most. Take a look at this videos made by LEGO (and directed by a 3 year old!)

Hyperlapse

Speaking of Instagram video, it’s worth mentioning their complimentary app Hyperlapse. Launched last year Hyperlapse is a high quality time lapse video tool. It has a host of added benefits like image stabilisation and seamless video looping. It’s kind of like making a really high quality gif with an added dash of gonzo/home-made charm.

I’ve not been to Denmark but now I want to after seeing this visit Copenhagen Hyperlapse video… and also because of bacon...

Snapchat

Like me you might be blithering to yourself “SNAPCHAT!!! Preposterous!!! Why that’s just for millennials who want to send pictures of their genitals to one another!” *read in the voice of Brian Blessed*

Well, you’re not wrong. Snapchat is used for that… but so is Twitter, Facebook WhatsApp and any app or platform that has an internet connection. (For a more comprehensive lowdown on snapchat, have a look at Jemma’s blog)

You're welcome to give Snapchat a whirl! But you might have a little bit of an issue with sharing your message or promotions due to the whole issue of post permanence, why put all that effort into a video only for it to bloomin disapear after a few seconds?

I steer clear of Snapchat these days, mainly because of all the genitals. But I have seen some interesting (albeit slightly weird/disturbing) branded videos from Maynard's Sour Patch Kids on Snapchat.

Meerkat / Periscope

Everyone and their mum livestreams these days. People look at niche streaming platforms like twitch.tv and think “hey, live streaming gameplay seems popular, maybe I should livestream my whole life?”. Well, thanks to livestream apps Meerkat & Periscope you can do just that...

I refer to both as one and the same, because let’s be honest, they do the same job but one (the better of the two) is owned by Twitter (Periscope).

Be creative but also useful when you choose what to stream, maybe it’s a seminar or talk you’re running, or you could livestream a wedding for some distant relatives like Jon recently did?

Youtube Capture

For those of us who don’t have a fancy Phantom Flex high-speed camera and a copy of Adobe Premiere (which is most of us), filming and editing video can be a real kick in the proverbials. That’s where YouTube capture comes in, as it lets you seamlessly shoot and share straight to YouTube!

Start off with any old mixture of shots or video clips, rearrange them, add some music, fiddle with the filters then upload to YouTube straight away! Thanks YouTube.

Replay

Effectively Windows Movie Maker for hipsters, Replay is an awesome little Photo/Video editing app that will take all your wee Instagram photos, twit-pics and video clips and blend them together into awesome little short films for you to share with all your other hipster friends.

Vyclone

Vyclone is badass. Why is it badass Josh? I’ll tell you why it’s badass anonymous reader! First of all it's called Vyclone which sounds like a member of the 1990's era Gladiators. And secondly, if there’s a few of you at an event, conference, gig etc. and you’re all shooting clips of said event, Vyclone stitches your clips into one multi angle video. Told you it was badass.

Now, I don’t have any friends, so I don’t have anyone to test it out with… so here’s some weirdos filming their leash bound cat instead (and they call me sad...)

That's my list, if you've got another video app which you think is the mutts nuts let me know @BaldJoshWin or tweet @NoisyMonkey we'd love to give 'em a go!